Perftect for Saturday morning living room dancing...

Kiss the girl remake by Colbie Caillat (going on my iPod as we speak, if I can find it!)

Currently coveting:

This print for either the bathroom or the den:

And for sure this one, or maybe all of these, for the kitchen (I am on a green jag, in case you hadn't noticed):

This awesome plate:

As for the home inspection, well, it went okay. There was some rotted wood that needs to be replaced in the crawl space, and there is apparently a leak somewhere in the laundry room closet, b/c there are hints of mold on the base of the drywall. THAT scares me, but the Knight (who used to work as an assistant home inspector) and our home inspector (who is the Knight's uncle) didn't seem to think it was going to be a big deal to fix the leak, replace the drywall, and clean up the mold. Also, a few of the outlets don't work, and a couple of windows have broken glass. All fixable, and hopefully within the seller's repair budget that we negotiated into the contract.

Also, today I need to start packing, start shopping for homeowner's insurance, drop off a check at the mortgage company for the appraisal fee, and pull all of my hair out. Let's not even talk about the several apron orders I have piling up, and the laundry that is piling up beside it! Thank goodness the new Sex & the City movie is coming out this weekend...at least I have a visit with those four fabulous women to look forward to!

Stressed out kisses,

P.S. I have uploaded tons more pictures of the house on Flickr. Go here if you want to see them!

Yikes!

The Knight and I have been following the South Beach Diet plan for 2 1/2 weeks, with noticeable success. For those of you that don't know what it is, it is basically a lean protein, low-fat dairy, non-starchy veggie diet. Its kind of like the Atkins diet, but more sensible, and it allows some kinds of bread.

Yesterday, I had to cheat b/c I ate dinner at someone else's house, and the main course was chicken pasta salad (white flour pasta is a big no-no on the diet). I tried to eat as little as I could, but I also had 3 glasses of white wine (also is a no no), and when I came home, I was starving, so I ate a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter (also not good, but not as bad as the first two things).

When I woke up this morning, I woke up with what I can only describe as a "bread hangover." I felt yucky, I couldn't wake up, and my tummy was all "poochy." Apparently, this is a punishment South Beach superstars experience if they cheat after following the diet to a T. I banged around the apartment trying to wake up, but was basically unsuccessful. Growl. Not only was I having a hard time waking up, but 1/2 through my "getting ready routine," our power went off while I was cooking eggs. At this point, I still had wet hair and no makeup, so I waited around the apartment a little while longer to see if the power would come on. No such luck.

With much chagrin, a dripping head, and a scary face, I went to work.

Fast forward to this afternoon, and the Knight just called me to tell me that he came home to find one of our stove's "eyes" on high, and that Betty had been trapped in our Master Bath all day long with no lights, but with the fan running.

Although I washed up the pan (and with much morose, watched the eggs get washed DOWN the drain, rather than into my tummy), I apparently neglected to turn off the stove.

Then, I put Betty in the bath b/c people were coming to work on the guest bath toilet while we were at work, and they won't come into our apartment unless Betty is contained. Instead of turning on the light, I apparently turned on the fan.

I am such a dolt! What if the stove had caught the house on fire and burned little Betty to a crisp? I am just so glad that she is okay. Seriously, can I be trusted to be a homeowner?

(P.S. I have not forgotten about telling you about the home inspection. I just can't tell you about it right now, because, quite frankly, I don't understand half of the things on the report. ACFIs? 60 amps v. 100 amps? Joists? It is all gobbledygook to me. Our realtor is coming over tonight to explain to us what our next step is...once I know what is going to happen next, I'll be sure to share with you at least 60 amps worth of juicy house gossip!)

Sheesh!

Right now, as I type, our house is being inspected. I hope everything turns out okay! It is going to be a nail-biter of a morning!

A fresh coat of paint....

For my blog! Isn't the new design so adorable? And SO me? I am in blog heaven...it has everything I love...aqua, orange, shoes, shopping, cool fonts, and even a cartoon version of me!

Marina, you did a wonderful job! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and responding back to me so quickly. Even the Knight thought it was cool!

Speaking of the Knight, he and I just got back from the craziest whirlwind weekend in Nashville. We went there for Memorial Day to visit his sister and her husband and kids, and see our friends and their new baby! And, for the first time, we left our baby at "camp" (Perk's Pet Kennel) for the weekend, since we knew we were going to spend a majority of our time on the lake. I was so sad leaving her at a kennel, but I know she'll be safe...it was just so hard to say goodbye!

Actually, first, our weekend started here in Memphis on Friday afternoon. I have mentioned that the Knight and I have been trying to buy a house, and I am happy to say that as of Friday, we officially have a contract on a house! We are so excited, and are supposed to close on June 20th. This is what it looks like now, but keep in mind that we are considering painting the brick cream to really bring out the pretty wood stained shutters and front door.

(Front of the house)

(View of the formal living & dining room and the pretty front door)

(Another angle of the formal living and dining room. The floors have been refinished, the entired house has been painted, and all of the light fixtures in the house are brand new. They even have remotes!)

(The den has nice built ins and fresh new carpet!)

(This kitchen is bigger than this one side, but this gives you an idea of the cabinetry. It appears to be "original" but has been nicely refinished. The countertops are just plain jane laminate, but we hope to replace them soon. The floor has new tile, and the appliances, while not top of the line, are at least new.)

(Another view of the kitchen...this would be considered the breakfast room. The bar looks into the kitchen area. Those louvered doors hide the laundry closet, and beyond that is the den.)

(The backyard. Isn't much to look at now, but at least it is already fenced in for Betty. We are so excited to be buying her a yard!)

Isn't it cute? We are so excited to have stumbled upon this house. It wasn't the prettiest thing from the outside, but we figured that could be fixed. Plus, once we got inside, we loved the floor plan,and the fact that there was room to grow. This is a house that can comfortably accommodate both of us, plus we have rooms for an office, a sewing room, guest room, and even a room for Betty (okay, I guess that room could also be a nursery). It makes me nervous to take the plunge, but we are so sick of renting. Home ownership, here we come!

Anyway, around midnight on Friday, I get a call from my Mom in a panic. My grandfather has COPD, and apparently, he was having a terrible time breathing and was so "out of it" he didn't even know who my mom was. I really thought that we would be driving to Kansas for a funeral, but on Saturday morning, Mom called to say that he was doing much better, although he still was getting confused at times. For example, I talked to him on the phone for a while, and at first, it seemed that he knew who I was, but halfway through the conversation, he blurted out "You're the best insurance nurse I've ever had!" Yeah...I have no idea where that came from. It breaks my heart that my grandfather is dying, but at the same time, I don't want him to be in pain. They say that people with COPD die because their lungs fill up with fluid, and when they are dying, they feel like they are drowning. Unfortunately, they may have several spells where they have little or no oxygen, but end up coming around. I'm guessing that's what happened to my grandpa on Friday night, and Mom wonders if he may have had a small stroke during the spell. I'm planning on driving up there this coming weekend...we have always had a special bond, and I really feel like I should be there to help take care of him as much as I can. Please keep him in your prayers.

Since Mom didn't think we needed to come to Kansas, we headed, as planned, to Nashville to visit the Knight's sister and her precious family. After dropping off our stuff at the Knight's sister's house (her name can be Maggie), we headed to the hospital to see our friends' new baby boy! He was so cute and so tiny. He held his little fists up in front of his face like a tiny boxer, and only made the tiniest of squawking baby sounds. After all the holding, and the oohing, and the aahing, we learned that the Knight's cousin was in the same hospital with his wife because she was having their baby later that day. So, we get the room number, find the room, and knock on the door, thinking we'll be able to just stop in and give her a few words of encouragement before the big delivery. The Knight's cousin, the soon to be father, pops his head out and says "You can't come in...we just got IT out!" All of a sudden, we hear a baby squall, and we felt so terrible. How much worse could our timing be?

Anywho, after profusely apologizing for coming by at such a bad time, and stopping by the family waiting room to say hi to the rest of the Knight's extended family, we eat dinner at Logan's (Hello, spicy Talapia - YUM), and spend the rest of the night drinking wine with Maggie's family, and just having a great time.

The next day, we went to church at our home away from home, Otter Creek CoC, and headed to the Percy Priest Lake. Maggie and her husband, Mr. Biz, have an awesome pontoon boat, and we hung out with them and their adorable kids for the rest of the day. It was perfectly sunny out. I was very good and wore plenty of sunscreen, but I have to admit that I am sad I didn't get even a smidge of sun. We ended the night by watching an incredible fireworks show on the water which had one of the best finales I have ever seen.

Today, we decided that we would go back to the lake and have round two of the lake, but the weather was not in agreement with our plan. As soon as we got the pontoon and ski boats situated, the ugliest, darkest clouds starting rolling over us. The dock was completely covered up in clouds and stormy weather, so we decided to wait it out in the water. Well - all I can say was BAD IDEA. I'm telling you, the rain poured on us. We all hovered under the pontoon's canopy, but it was not helpful in the least. It was as if the wind was blowing on us from all angles, and the rain happily obliged to her directions. Then, it started thundering and lightning, and then it started to hail. Right on our backs. It felt like hundreds of needles raining on us. Poor Carter and Maddie were so scared, and Maggie and I hovered over them like mama chickens, trying to keep our little eggs dry. I have to admit, even I was a little scared at times. Finally, the rain subsided, and we managed to eat our lunch, pack up, and head back to the dock. Carter, who is 4, kept saying "I mean, what a WASTED day." I have to say, I kind of agree with him.

On our drive back to Memphis, the Knight and I faced a storm of similar proportion, and we passed at least 8 trees that had fallen on the interstate. At one point, we had to pull over because it was raining so hard, you couldn't even see if you were at a standstill. Thankfully, we are now in our little apartment, safe and dry. I am so glad to be home, but so excited to start packing for our new one! Now I can surely put my design blog (which has yet to be published) to good use!

Okay, with that I'm off to do some sewing!

Kisses,

Having trouble finding the right words...

But not having any problem finding pictures!

I'm going to warn you...this post has at least 30 pictures. You might call this lazy blogging, but I call this a realistic representation of our crazy life.

I promised that I would post pictures of my birthday, mom's graduation, and, of course, the infamous Betty Rascal. Here we go. Mom's graduation and the BR are in this post. I have a birthday post coming.

First, here is an "apron family" I sewed for a lady in my office. You can't tell from this picture, but the orange and blue fabrics have matching white polka dots. They are the same brand, just different colors. Also, the blue of the full length child's apron coordinates with a blue that is in the floral print of the two girl aprons. Finally, the picture doesn't do the orange trim on the boy's apron justice...it really is the same color as the orange in the two girl aprons, but just looks different with the flash from my camera. This was such a fun set to sew...I can just picture the mom and her two kids wearing these and making cookies in the kitchen with flour and chocolate chips everywhere!
She is, by far, my best customer. And a big part of the reason I haven't had any time to sew for my etsy store. I think, to date, she has ordered 9 aprons. 6 of which have been delivered. Here is another mommy and me set she ordered for this past Mother's Day. Right now, I'm working on three BBQ aprons for her brother and his 2 sons. She has been so fun to sew for!

Okay, so, that's what I've been up to in the sewing department. Next I have a picture to show you...

The Knight and I were talking about how dog owners and their animals start to favor one another, and I fear its happening to me! First, I have to admit that Betty Rascal and I have the same hair color (and in the picture, about the same hairstyle!). It's true. If you put my hair up to her hair, it is very hard to distinguish who's who. Second, look at my shiny big forehead and her big white forehead. We both have big eyes for our faces, and similarly sunny dispositions. I know it may seem crazy to think that animals have "dispositions," but I know all you pet lovers agree with me...she has her own personality, and it is about as cheerful, inquisitive, and playful as mine. Don't worry, we aren't going to start dressing alike or anything, but it is kind of funny!

Since we are having a Betty Rascal Photo Frenzy, here are adorable pics my mom took of her while Mom was visiting with us. I swear, she and Betty love each other more than me! After Mom left, Betty was pretty gloomy the next day...no one to play with and no one to give her big yummy treats all day long!

Okay, speaking of Mom, here are some pictures from her pinning, graduation, and graduation party.

(Family shot at pinning. That's my dad on the left, my mom in the middle, my uncle on the right, my niece in the corner, and my maternal grandmother in the middle. The rest of the people are my siblings. I swear I am not pregnant, nor that fat. That shirt kind of bubbled up when I kneeled, and the sun shining on my stomach doesn't help!)

(Picture of my brother and I. He is 23, and one of the most wonderful people I know. He is a Christian who truly tries every day to live a life of Christ. He genuinely just loves people, and is using his amazing advertising and graphic design ability to help a charitable organization in Tulsa get the publicity it needs. Doesn't that just sound so cool? Makes my lawyer job sound so mundane.)

(Mom getting pinned. I don't really know the significance of this, but it is something that nurses do. So there.)

(My brothers, sister, and I. My youngest brother is 14, and we are such kindred spirits. He and I are the nerdy ones in the family, and we have always had a special little bond because of it. My littlest bro can play the brass off the french horn and is also an excellent piano player. I keep trying to convince him to look at going to college in Memphis to study music...I would love to have him to "mother!" My sister is 16, and the true drama queen of the family. She is also one of the sweetest and most tender people I know. She can sing and act beautifully, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for her! Of course, here's is my oldest brother and me again. See? The shirt isn't so bad in this picture!)

(Okay, Dad took this picture while we were at Sam's Club. Mom's best friend came from Nashville for all the graduation festivities, and we took it upon ourselves to throw Mom and her two best college friends one kick butt party (pictures shown below...let me know if you think we succeeded!). Here, I am trying to explain to the lady at Sam's that I want to order a graduation cake, but I want it to be "classy," and not a cheesy "themed" graduation cake. I felt like she and I were speaking two entirely different languages. She kept showing me all these cakes with plastic balloons and edible photos of graduates that could be printed on the cake. Finally, we settled on this design...not bad, but not exactly what I had in mind)

( Flower arrangements that Mom's friend made from 1 package of yellow daisies and the rest was from Mom's garden. Aren't they so pretty?)

(Before Mom left to actually go graduate, my sister and her friend decorated my mom's station wagon and my dad's van with all kinds of sayings like "Honk if you love Nursing!" "Hello, Nurse!" "I'm married to the most beautiful nurse ever!" It was so cute, and really made my mom happy.)

(Mom's nursing picture. So proud of her!)

(ORU graduation. Yep, we got to watch all 637 students graduate. Let's just say that fashion magazines and snacks were a welcome distraction.)

(Mom took this picture of our row cheering for her. If you can see the tall guy wearing a black button up over a yellow shirt with his face turned to the right, you've found us, too! Somehow, she managed to find us in the mass of people in the stadium.

(Picture of dad with his colleagues. All ORU professors have to attend graduation and wear their doctoral robes. It is such a Harry Potter convention. He's the one smiling and wearing the red hood/collar thing. Isn't he the cutest?)

(Yay, Mom!)

(All of Mom's school friends. I love that they are younger than me!)

(Mom and Dad after graduation. Such nerdy little lovebirds!)

(I never have a picture with just me and the 'rents. It's always a family circus when our family tries to take a picture, so just once, I wanted one with just me and them. No other siblings allowed!)

(This is where we had Mom's graduation party. Her friend, Noma, was another "guest of honor" at this party, and this is her apartment's pool. I love the gazebo and the lake below it. The weather was perfect, and everything turned out just the way we wanted it!)

(The main event - FOOD! We had some of the best BBQ I have ever had (and that is saying a lot, considering I now have eaten a ton of Memphis BBQ), cake, fresh fruit, and an assortment of chips and candies. Simple, but yummy.)

(Here's the lovely graduate with her happy cake!)

(Okay, this picture is only on here for selfish reasons. See that girl standing in the middle? The willowy blonde in the black dress? Okay, well she (Hannah) is one of Mom's best nursing friends, and my whole family is scheming to get her and my oldest brother together. She thinks my brother is cute, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Anywho, as far as I can tell, they would be perfect for each other. They are both "Jesus hippies" (a term of endearment, I promise), and she is the total package - beautiful, super smart (pretty sure she was the valedictorian of the nursing school), and she just 'fits' in our family. I'm definitely praying about this one!)

Here are the guests of honor - Mom, Hannah, and Noma - enjoying the cake the way it was meant to be enjoyed!)

((My mom is actually pretty tall, but you could never tell with her standing by my brother...she's 5'7", but he's 6'6"!)

(Mom and Noma's signature photos. We couldn't find a good picture of Mom, so we used her handmade graduation announcements. Aren't they cool?)

(Mom and me...do you think we look alike?)

(My grandma. She is so cute, and also has the best sense of humor. This is going to sound very "ageist" of me, but sometimes I am really surprised by the wild stories my grandma tells! I forget that she was young once, and had her own salacious tales. Too bad for us they didn't have blogs back then!)

All in all, a perfect day for a perfect lady. I love you, Mom!